Dystopia - a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

Kim Jong-Il - the dictator of North Korea, referred to as "Dear Leader".

Juche - the official state ideology of North Korea, translated as "independent stand" or "spirit of self-reliance".

Worker's Party of Korea - the ruling political party in North Korea, led by Kim Jong-Il.

Doublespeak - evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse.

Cult of personality - a cult promoting adulation of a living national leader or public figure, as one encouraged by Stalin to extend his power.

Pyongyang - the capital of North Korea.

Newspeak - language intended to remove all shades of meaning from language, leaving simple dichotomies (e.g. "doubleplusgood" instead of "wonderful" or "great").

Thoughtcrime - criminalizing not just speech and actions, but the mere thoughts of people.

Totalitarianism - absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.

Perpetual war- a war with no clear ending conditions. It also describes a situation of ongoing tension that seems likely to escalate at any moment, similar to the Cold War.

Propaganda - information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

Dictionary.com. Ask.com. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://dictionary.reference.com/>.